


Another Life

by NomiNolinasiNNs



Category: Original Work
Genre: Blood, Blood Drinking, Blood Sharing, Drama & Romance, F/F, Femslash, Graphic Depictions of Illness, Illnesses, Light Angst, Mysticism, Suffering, Vampire Turning, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:20:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26262553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NomiNolinasiNNs/pseuds/NomiNolinasiNNs
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Female Character
Kudos: 4





	Another Life

“Darling, I am home!“ I said exhaling, relieved to finally be home after a tough day at work. After closing the door of our apartment and putting the grocery bags on the floor, I began to pull the shoes off and was taken aback by silence instead of the usual greeting from dear Eleanor.

’’Ellie? Hello?” There was silence and no sign of her at home.

Strange. She should have been home by this time today since it was her day off. In the morning she had promised to cook dinner and spend the evening together.   
No dinner was there in the kitchen, but instead a sticky note on the fridge stating:

_ Hey! I had to go to work. _ _  
_ _ Some emergency thing. Not sure what, but all the off-shifts were summoned ASAP. _ _  
_ _ Sorry for dinner. I promise to make it up another day! _ _  
_ _ Love,  _ _  
_ _ E. _

Alright, that happens if one is a nurse in a geriatrics clinic. Though quite rarely. In fact, I did not recall when an emergency happened there last time. Still, a job is a job and Ellie was loyal to her duties. She took it rather as a mission, not just a profession – helping old people, promoting health, wellness, and longevity. Her dedication to the elderly patients was admirable. She was open-hearted and compassionate.

She was the same to me – caring, loving, affectionate. Like no one else. I sensed these qualities in her when we first met at my college graduation party. We quickly got on and started going out. Like friends though. At first, I had very little hope she’ll ever agree to be my girlfriend. But I dreamt of it day and night. It seemed, she sensed my intentions but kept the distance. I acted accordingly. Until one day. 

*

_ That was a cold, stormy night. We got stuck in traffic on the way from the city center. The car also broke down while in a jam. Being caught up miles away from mine or her home we had to go for a hotel option. We picked a random one, close to the car service, where the service guys kindly drove us and promised to fix the vehicle by midday the following day. _

_ Soaked and cold we got into our modest room and both rushed to the bathroom, bumping into each other in a hurry. Eleanor stepped back, letting me go first.  _ _  
_ _ I had a better idea. I pulled her in with me. There and then, something came over me and I started ripping her clothes off. To my surprise, she did not oppose it. She looked bewildered at first but then gave in. Eagerly.  _ _  
_ _ But that night was a bit weird too. I could not remember much after she kissed my neck in the shower. I did realize something occurred between us, judging by my sensations in the morning, but could not recover all the details. The picture was faded, obscured. I decided it was due to tiredness and the serotonin rush.  _

_ * _ _  
  
_

We started dating after the encounter in the hotel. She even moved to my place. Our first month was one of the most memorable in my youth. We organized our apartment the way we liked it. Went out to dance and party often. We had our friends visit us every now and then, congratulating us with a new beginning. Ellie appeared to be the best partner and easy-to-deal with. We almost never fought.    
  
But things change. The bliss of the new romance dispersed. Days full of work and duties were upon us now and did nothing good for our relationship. We often argued over stupid things like cooking and tidying the place. And that was the reality we were dealing with. And now, on her day off, when we were in our “good” period, she got called to work. This was irritating.

I threw the groceries into the fridge haphazardly and weighed options on what to cook. Frozen vegetables with an egg made my lonely dinner that day. Bitter and disappointed, I went off to bed. Alone. Again.

~ ~ ~

Around five in the morning, she came back from work. I slept badly, thus was easily woken up by the tiniest noise of the door opening.    
Here I thought it would have been nice of me to prepare some food for her. She definitely had no time to pack anything when leaving is a rush. I cursed myself for my selfishness.    
  
She undressed quickly and slid into the bed, not having eaten or drinking anything. I had stopped freaking my sleep and asked:   
  
“Hey dear. You’re alright?”

“Hi! Yes. All good. Sleep.” She whispered to me, framing my face with her hand. 

“Are you hungry? It seemed the emergency took you by surprise…”

“Yeah... You know… This emergency is an issue actually.” She paused, considering whether to reveal details to me or wait. Seems she decided to postpone it until later. “And no, I am not starving. I am alright.”

“Sure? ‘Cause I am no longer sleepy. I can fetch something for you.”

“Don’t worry,” she said and leaned in to kiss me. 

I welcomed it. She shifted closer and her chilly fingers traced my cheeks, while her soft lips covered mine. I felt hot in an instant. Frankly, I was longing for her for a long time. We were always busy and tired and had so less leisure time to spend together. Now was a chance! And I was not going to miss it.

Her lips shifted to my ears, then to my neck. She bit my skin lightly here and there while caressing it. Then, her wet mouth landed on my neck over the carotid. I trembled and gasped for air from the overwhelming sensation.

What followed this delightful moment - I did not remember!

~ ~ ~

When I came back to my senses, the morning light was bright. Eleanor was talking to someone on the phone. She sounded concerned. 

I dragged my body out of the bed and made it to the shower on soft legs. A couple of purple spots on my neck signified a passionate night, which I could not regenerate in my memory. It was strange. I did not drink, neither was diagnosed with amnesia. I made up my mind to talk about this with Ellie once the time is right. 

But the right time seemed to never come.

Eleanor unveiled the truth behind her emergency call: a novel respiratory disease hit the city. The major risk group was the elderly. Thus, the pediatric clinic she worked at, went into the quarantine mood. No visitors, work in shifts, new sanitary requirements. She also begged me to be cautious and work remotely for a while (which I could, due to the nature of my work). 

“Please, Jennifer, I really need you to stay home. It’s not only to keep you safe but also for my patients. I will get tested for this disease every other day. If I test positive - I will be dismissed from work. This bug is bad for oldies. We are requested to take every precaution we can.”

“Alright. I stay home then. But I will still go out, ok? Or I’ll go mad in these four walls around the clock.”   
  
“Sure. You may go out. But be cautious,” she pleaded, squeezing my hand in hers. 

“I have to take off now for my regular shift. But tomorrow I'm gonna stay home with you the whole day. I can make it up for dinner yesterday.”

“Okay. I am looking forward to it. And love, I have something else I wanted to talk about…” I intuitively hugged my neck, massaging it a bit. Suddenly it felt sore under one palm.    
“But let’s do it when you have more time. It’s kind of a strange talk.”

“Darling, you’re making me concerned. What’s up?”   
  
“Nothing bad! I swear. Go now. It can wait.”

“Ok…” She watched over me with slight concern on her face, eyesight slowing down on my neck.

I hugged her goodbye and headed to my office in the center to collect my belongings from there and shift the work home. On the way there I felt light-headed. 

~ ~ ~

Going up in the elevator to the fifteenth floor took time. It seemed like hundreds of people got in and out before I reached my destination. Notably, some people wore masks. I found it strange and considered it to be associated with the allergy season.    
  
I arrived at the office by lunch. The place was half empty. Most of my coworkers came for the same reason I did: to pack the stuff and leave home. Thus, most have already left. Many wore surgical masks. Masks again. I must be missing something!

“Miss D’vonne, may I remind you to wear face protection,” I heard instead of ‘hello’ from the boss. 

“I am sorry since when are we obliged to do so?”

“Since today. Haven’t you received the email?” he clarified, giving me a pointed look. 

Damn! I did not even open my computer today. I overslept and felt unnerved and… And then the news of this disease overwhelmed me. Right, of course, the respiratory disease! Face protection is a precaution. How could I have been so careless!?

Gladly, one of my colleagues had an extra mask, so I pulled it on, instantly feeling suffocating. Obviously, this disease was a serious one. The national news reported some death cases already. 

I wrapped up my packing quickly and flew home. The traffic was immense. It looked like the city was evacuating. Radio was overloaded with public safety alerts and epidemiology news. I suspected dark times coming. 

~ ~ ~

Our next day with Eleanor home went by well. We chilled, watched some movies, cooked together. Everything seemed perfect. Besides my headache, that increased by nightfall into a full-blown migraine. 

I complained to Ellie about it and she instantly got preoccupied: she massaged my face, gave me herbal tea, painkillers, and sent me to bed. I did not have the strength to converse about my amnesia from last night and also did not dare to preoccupy her more. 

At night I slept badly. I was hot, and cold, and trembling. The morning was no better. Headache was killing. I could not work.    
  
In the evening, when Ellie came home, she looked at me and instantly asked:

“Sweety, are you sick? You look pale and… Oh my! You are in fever!” she exclaimed, touching my forehead.

“Ell’... I feel really bad. I can’t say what's wrong precisely, but... I can barely move.”

“I wish it would turn out false, I pray for it, but dear… It might be the disease.”

“No way! Look, I haven’t even been out since then. Just went to the office. C’mon, how would I catch it?”

“Well…It’s airborne. If you have been in an enclosed space with someone who has it - you could have gotten it,” She stated. I still did not believe it.

“But I haven’t…” started proclaiming I, when realizing, that actually, I have.    
  
The elevator!   
  
“Oh, but I have. I’ve had a long elevator ride…” I confessed.

“I suggest we go to the hospital immediately!”

“Eleanor! Stop panicking. We don’t know yet!” I tried to reason with my panic-queen. 

“To me, it’s pretty obvious!” she stopped abruptly, rushing to her bag. “Here, I have a quick test. It’s for me for tomorrow, but I can get another one at the clinic. Let’s test you now.”

She knelt on the sofa in front of me and initiated the test. She let a small drop of blood from my finger. Her pupils dilated extremely when she did it. Her eyes appeared wild. I got stunned by it – was she sensitive to blood? A nurse, sensitive to this liquid, was rather a miracle.

“Ellie? What’s wrong?” I asked, noticing her breathing faster.

“What? Nothing!” She snapped, fidgeting, “Just excited about the result.”

“How long will it take to know?”

“Twenty minutes it says. But if positive, we could see it in five.”

She collected the tools and left the test on the tablet by the sofa. I was watching it…. I almost did not notice how she approached me and sat next to me, kissing my chuckles. 

“I hope it’s nothing” I managed to say. 

But in a few minutes, it became clear, it was not the case. Two stipes visualized on the test strip meaning I was positive for the disease. Eleanor jumped on her feet and started going around, clearly overtaken by panic. 

“Jennifer... This is bad. I am taking you to the hospital!” she nearly yelled, voice trembling.

“Wait, but what about you? Are you going to be sick too?” I got preoccupied with her health. 

“I don’t know. I might. But let us not postpone! Pack and we go.”

~ ~ ~

The A&E department of the general hospital was overloaded with people. I was amazed. I have never seen lines to the counter extend meters outside before.   
  
People were directed into two streams. One was for “suspected” and another one for “supposedly infected”. I got a temperature measurement on the gate and was directed to the “infected” area. Ellie could not come with me. I was not able to hug or kiss her goodbye. I just lost sight of her in the crowd of “suspected”.    
  
I was directed to the field respiratory unit that looked like a huge tent occupying the park between the A&E and ICU departments. I got tested again. A painkiller package and a kidney dish were all I received on the entrance. I was shown to my bed and instructed to keep calm and wait for further directions from the personnel. I acted as requested.

Meanwhile, I texted Ellie, asking about her whereabouts. She replied fast:

_ I am fine. Tested negative, no fever. I was released home and advised to stay in for two weeks.  _

_ Cool. I will probably spend these two weeks in a sick camp here.  _ I answered the sad truth.

_ Don’t worry. You’re young and healthy. I bet you’ll get out earlier! _

_ Cross fingers for me. _

_ Already!  _

Our small chat ended, and I felt lonely. No one attended me until the next morning. I felt lost and forgotten. Like everyone around. 

“Why am I not prescribed the treatment?” sounded from my neighbors' place.   
“How long shall I stay here! I've got work to do!” came from the other one.

I kept quiet, giving the nurse who attended me a mental break. Gladly, she spoke up by herself:

“I know it is unnerving to stay here… Given the situation and the  _ surroundings,”  _ she directed her eyes on the side, where another patient fought with the nurse, requesting answers she could not provide.    
“Truth to be told, the situation is totally out of control. We do not have the cure yet neither we’ve got a good idea how to treat the patients in a critical state. I hope you will not get that far. But if you feel suffocated or dizzy – please, press the red bottom. We will deal with you. Until then, just keep low and avoid stress.”

“Right. Thank you,” I mumbled, getting the idea that I won’t be dealt with until I am on a death-bed. 

“See you later then!” the nurse left, leaving me to stare into the white glittery sheathing of the made-up hospital.

~ ~ ~

“Hey, Ell! How are you? Feeling fine?”

“Hi, darling. I am good. But I miss you,”

“I miss you too,”

So our chats on a webcam began every time. Besides film watching, reading, and calling with Ellie I had nothing smart to do. 

Also, my condition did not improve. I would say the reverse. I felt weak and dizzy, my stomach was swirling after every lunch. Headache, fever, and a stuffy nose added to the gloomy state of affair… Generally saying - I felt crap. That night I also had difficulty breathing but decided to go wait till the morning with the red bottom. 

Well. I could wait until four in the morning only since it became insufferable. The nurse rushed to me with some syringes and a ventilator. After several pokes and connection to the ventilator, I was left in peace. 

I texted Eleanor.

_ Hey. Bad news. I am on the ventilator now. Sorry to inform you. _

She called me instantly. 

“Jennifer! Are you ok? What’s going on? Are you in ICU?”

“Hey-hey! Calm down,” I attempted to speak, but my voice got occluded by the plastic mask. 

“Is it ok if you text and I speak?” Eleanor suggested and I nodded.

I texted her about my condition honestly. She deserved to know. I also asked her to call my parents and tell them. She promised, she will do that. 

_ Ellie, I wanted to speak to you about something. Remember?  _ I texted and she nodded. 

_ So, I guess now is the time, since, who knows if I get another chance to do it. _

“Of course, you will!” She assured me, tears collecting in her eyes.

_ I know it will sound weird and…  _

“Just say it. Whatever it is. Go on, Jennifer,” she pleaded, brushing her tears off.

_ Remember our first night? In the hotel?  _

“Yes. It was amazing!” she stated. And I felt embarrassed… I could not say so simply because I remembered nothing of it. 

_ Here is the problem. I remember nothing from that night. Don’t get me wrong, I know what we did, but… I cannot recall any detail after the shower.  _

Eleanor kept quiet, staring in the camera with a hazy gaze.

_ But not only that night. Also, the one a few days ago. I woke up like daydreaming. I knew we had a good time, but when I tried to recall the details  _ – _ to no avail. Imagine?! _

She was still silent, just inclined her head. 

_ Ellie, am I having one of these oldies brain diseases? How one can explain such memory gaps. I feel lost. _

“Jenny... It’s not the brain disease you have. It’s something else…”

_ What else?  _ I felt utterly daunt. Turned out, she knew something about it? 

“Do you trust me?” she asked suddenly. 

_ I think so. Yes. Why?  _ Was she involved!?

“Look, it’s complex and hard to explain. I’ll come by at night. Wait for me,” And she went off-line. 

I felt pissed and agitated. What the heck was going on? I sensed she was up to something. Or hiding something from me, for a long time! And now, when I am at my weakest point, she finds it right to confess?!

Then I thought: but she will not be able to do it. She cannot even get in!    
Basically, she escaped answering with a fake promise and hung on me. Tears ran down my cheeks instantly. My disappointment and frustration were hard to accommodate in the chest. It ached. I called her back in an instant. No reply. I then messaged her:

_ I can’t believe you hung on me like that! What is this all about? Why are you avoiding a talk!? _

No reply came.

_ Eleanor. I am serious. You must tell me what you know.  _

No reply came for a long time. When finally, it did, I was already half-asleep:

_ I will tell you everything. I swear. Tonight. _

I did not care to answer. I closed my puffy reddened eyes and darkness took me. 

~ ~ ~

Amid the night, when even nurses were snoozing, I got awakened by a light shake of a shoulder.

It was Eleanor. Right here. In front of me. At first, I thought it was a mirage… Some fever-induced delusion…    
But no, it was her, as her hand took mine and she whispered:

“Jenny, it’s alright. It’s me here. I came as I promised.”

“But… How did you find me?” I asked without greeting her since it puzzled me the most at the moment. 

“I can sense you; you see…”

“How is that?” I appealed.

“By your blood. Let me start explaining myself,” and she began her story.

*

_ Over a century ago she used to be a feldsher. She was living in the countryside and helping rural people fight illnesses. Although knowledgeable about the sicknesses and taking good care of herself, she was cruelly influenced by illnesses herself that patients often brought upon her. Thus, she looked for a cure or remedy that would save her from constant suffering. She studies potions and herbs, making different elixirs to strengthen her health, but nothing helped.  _ _  
_ _  
_ _ One day, a salesman came to their village. He sold many things, some being rare artifacts and uncommon ingredients. So, Eleanor asked him whether he possessed a component or a potion against common plagues. The salesman told her he has a special drought for her, which he can prepare by the nightfall. He requested Eleanor to come around his track after the sun sets and so he can provide her with it. _

_ Eleanor did as he suggested. She dressed up nicely and brought him some snacks from home. The salesman refused the snacks but complimented her dress. He then offered to enter his cabin. Suspecting nothing bad, Eleanor went in. He locked the door and looked over her in candlelight, eyes glittering cravingly. He said that the remedy for all the diseases was, in fact, his blood. But he keeps it as a top-secret to the whole world since people might start hunting him due to this. She, a dedicated healer, was in his opinion worthy to get a portion. Provided keeping it secret as well.  _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Eleanor grew skeptical but accepted his conditions. He drained his blood and gave her a sip. He then requested a price. The price was way too high to pay. To compensate for the lack of payment, he suggested Eleanor submits to him for the night. When she declined and offered to pay the rest tomorrow, he oppressed her and took harshly right where they were. With her virginity rudely taken, her pride was also smashed, and her heart broken.  _

_ At the end of the act, he bit her neck and drank her blood. Eleanor did not remember it well then but recalled the detail afterward. She only remembered how she struggled to get home, shaking, and in tears from the unexpected experience. She felt drained at the time and crushed to sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.  _

_ Waking up the next morning, she felt renewed. No pain or soreness was bothering her. Still, it did not make her feel better about last night's events. She decided to go and talk to this salesman about his villain deed. Expectedly, the latter one was long gone. In sum, she had gotten no cure, got harassed and most of her savings gone. She felt upset, lost, and used.  _

_ But life went on. Interestingly, after the encounter with the salesman, she did not fall sick anymore. Never even a headache. This peculiarity she explained to herself as a good fortune after miserable events and a better-established immunity. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Then, the War came to their settlement. It was a cruel, ruthless time. She was taken to the front as a doctor. And the War did not spare her. She got shut one day and was supposed to die… However, she woke up after some time feeling good. Her irises turned crimson and her heartbeat slowed to a minimum. She turned into someone… not human. The issue with being not a human but a vampire was an intolerable thirst. No water, milk, or wine could satisfy it. Only blood.  _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Luckily, in Wartime, it was plentiful. But after the war, it became a problem. So, she had figured out a strategy on how to trick her victims into affairs and use them as feeding puppets.  _

_ Time was going by, generations changed, but she did not age in the slightest. After voyaging the world, she settled down and decided to start a new life. She got back to her old field, becoming a practicing nurse. This job was beneficial for her since the blood supply was ensured. Still, nothing tasted better than fresh blood from the carotid of the young pretty victims.  _

_ Once, it occurred so, that she fell for her victim. It made her feel uneasy: she was manipulating her, taking what she needed and could never give back enough. It was her, Jennifer, she had fallen for. To be able to stay with her, she elaborated a way to feed on her in secrecy and keep her around, take care of her and please her, so to say, to compensate for drinking her blood. The side effect of this elaborate manipulation was that Jennifer was losing her consciousness each time she fed on her. _

_ *  _

_ “ _ I can’t believe it…” I mumbled at the end of the confession from my dear Ellie.

“I know it’s hard to comprehend, but believe me, it is true,” she said sincerely.

“So… Now what?” I could not think adequately. My mind was overwhelmed and chest hurt.

“I want to offer you the solution…” she stopped, weighing the words, “If you get my blood into your stream, you may get rid of the disease.”

I felt overwhelmed. Was this indeed the solution? Or it was just a trick… I felt unnerved and my heart skipped several beats. I also felt my chest constricting in pain but kept composed. 

“I guess in a desperate situation like this…” I could not continue due to acute pain behind the ribs.

“Jennifer?” she sensed my suffering and was near me right away.

My eyes widened; I barely sustained a scream when I took another breath. I grabbed Ellie’s hand and begged with my lips only:

“Do it!”

She nodded and got to the task immediately: she took the ventilator mask off my face. I felt like fish taken out of water. I could not breathe. She then cut her forearm and let the blood flow into my mouth. I could barely swallow it due to my throat constricting in gasps for air. I nearly faded from the sensation of striking pain over my bust and torso, coming seemingly from every cell. Eleanor was still here. She was gazing at me with concern. I could not squeeze out a word. Even a squirm. Just husky noises came out of my throat. 

Eleanor placed the mask back on, but it did not seem to take the effect anymore. She then made an infusion of a painkiller and something else, but it did not relieve my suffering. She was about to press the red bottom when I hurriedly stopped her hand.

I shook my head and took the mask of. She looked puzzled but seemed to get my idea.

“Jenny... Are you sure? There is no coming back from it.”

“Ell’... Will you be… with… me?” I managed to whisper on the verge of possible.

“Yes, of course. I will never leave you. We are the same blood now. I will take care of you till the end of days!” 

“Then… I’m sure…” I added exhaling.

“Right darling, it’s ok. I’ve got you…” were the last words I heard in this life.

I sensed the world collapse to Eleanor’s dilated back pupils.    
I prepared myself for immense pain. But none came. My body felt light, weightless…And I flew into the oblivion.

~ ~ ~

I had no idea how long I had spent there. Or where was this ‘where’. But at one point I came back to my senses. My eyes flew open. The sharpness of sight amused me. The first thing I saw was big dark eyes, gazing at me with regret. Familiar eyes. 

Eleanor it was. I reached out for her. She was real. She smiled slightly at me, squeezing my hand with her cold palm. 

My irises were crimson red now. And I felt blissed. 

Incredibly good!

But dead… 

  
  



End file.
